Forgotten
by ConnivingVixen
Summary: There are some things that are better left alone, but once you do, you have no assurance that it won't come back. As Edward and Bella continue on with life, they find the bits of Edward's past suddenly appearing before them in a form they never expected.
1. Introduction

_Forgotten_

What you don't know won't hurt you. Edward had always believed that it was better for him to completely forget about his past, having lost most of his memories throughout the years. What mattered to him now was the memories he was making with his Bella right by his side. He knew that his life was Bella now, and as long as she did not bother to ask him about his past life, everything was alright. But when the strings of fate have been pulled, there's no way one can even think of getting out.

Just when they thought life was finally doing right to them, Edward's suddenly haunted by the images of his past just as he sets eyes on the new girl he didn't even think of looking twice. But when the unpredictable flashbacks begin to trouble his mind, the Cullens suddenly find themselves in a predicament they had never thought possible. The pieces of memories Edward once lost suddenly came crashing back down in his life, along with feelings stronger than a powerful vampire could ever imagine.

_"Maybe it's something you don't ever want to go back because it meant something to you."_

_"I hate myself for making the big mistake of not being there when she needed me the most."_

_"You can't expect it to hide forever.."_

_"Sometimes, you can't make everyone happy, no matter how much you love them."_

_"Losing control is not something you do in front of her."_

_"Take time to realize everything."_

_"Calming isn't exactly the best weapon at this moment."_

_"Finding out about something like this doesn't happen every time."_

_"Me being here with you is not going to help in your moving on."_


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 – Talk About Perfection in the Human Form

**A.N. **So, I made this story start-off with their senior year in high school. I wanna deal with school and all that. This takes off after the events of _New Moon _and a little plot bits from _Eclipse_. I just made those events happen during their summer and that she knew she loved Jacob. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I have no intention whatsoever to claim the ownership of this franchise. I am simply a fan trying to express my desire to be selfish through my own stories with my idols. Please don't banish me to hell for this.

--

Isabella Swan knew that everything changed the day she realized that she was in love with Edward Cullen. Apart from the usual curious stares from their schoolmates when they're together, she had to endure criticizing comments of some. She felt like no more than a stranger like she used to, as always, feeling like she didn't belong. Only when Edward or Alice or even Angela was around did she ever feel like she really was part of something. But most of all, the change came from the fact that she was hiding the biggest secret in the history of humanity. Her boyfriend and his family are vampires. Immortal beings. As if that wasn't mind boggling enough, she just had to find out that they're "vegetarian" vampires, who are simply defined as vampires who refuse to feast on human blood. Lucky was the best word for it when it came to Bella's life-changing happenings.

The sky welcomed the morning with a shower of rays, but since it was Forks, no ray could ever come shine in its perfect brightness in their sky, morning or not. The sky had little light, mostly filled with gloomy clouds hovering. Bella felt herself gaining consciousness from her deep slumber. She was awake, but refused to open her eyes, for fear of having to endure another day at school. Another was the fact that if ever she was dreaming that Edward Cullen loved her, she didn't want to wake up anymore. Feeling a cold hand touch her arm, Bella's eyes opened like saucers.

Slowly turning her head the opposite direction, she caught her breath. There beside her, in her own bed, was the most beautiful face, man or creature, she had ever seen. Bella had to blink a few times before realizing that her dream was not really a dream. Everything did happen, and the man she was in love with was just inches away from her now, staring at her lovely face, amused by her expression.

"Good morning," Edward greeted cheerfully. "You look lovely today, Bella. But it seems that you're in shock. Eight days in a row."

"I guess I'm still not used to it," Bella said, turning her body to face him. "Even after six months."

"Used to what?" Edward asked, as if he didn't know already.

"To knowing I have you," Bella whispered, making Edward smile.

"You think too much," Edmund said, kissing her forehead. "You should get up. Two humans need to eat breakfast in this house."

"You're right," Bella said, pulling her weight up.

"Wait," Edward said, tugging on her arm. "Let me say goodbye first - for now."

It took all of Bella's will-power not to give in too much on the simple kiss that Edward had planted on her lips. She knew fairly well how much the both of them tried to control each other, but on different reasons. She smiled as she stood up from her bed and waved at Edward before he took off from her window faster than a speeding bullet. _Kinda like Superman, but without the cape and the red underwear._

Breakfast went smoothly. Charlie didn't pry everything out of her too much that day. After all, it was the first day of school. It had been a while since she thought of school. Since the happenings last spring, being almost devoured by a tracking vampire called James, and summer, losing Edward, and finding out that she also loved her best friend, who just so happens to be a werewolf, Bella just wanted to keep certain thoughts away from her mind during the remaining duration of the summer. But now that it was back to school once again, she really had no choice but to ready herself with more schoolwork and heated stares from her schoolmates.

Drying off her spoon and bowl, Bella glanced at the living room when she heard a knock. Quickly placing the utensils back in place, she hurried to open the door, finding her beloved Edward grinning at her. She smiled and allowed him to give her a peck before she grabbed her bag from the sofa and locked the door of the house, following him to his _Volvo_ as he opened the door of the passenger seat for her.

"How's breakfast?" Edward asked as they drove to the school in his usual speed.

"Fine. Charlie was alright, I guess," Bella said nonchalantly.

"You look nervous."

"I think I am."

"Don't be. These are just the same kids you went to school with a year ago. They won't bite."

"I'm sure I know that by now. But you can't shake the thought off of me. My nerves are not cooperating with me here."

"You should be confident. You're very beautiful. A beauty like you could walk in a room and everyone would just stop and stare."

"I'm not Rosalie."

"Yes, because you're better."

"Stop that, Edward."

"You know it's true."

"It's not. Come on, I'm still wondering why you didn't see what Emmett is seeing. Rosalie is like the personification of the very essence of perfection. She's everything any guy could ever dream of wanting and any girl could ever dream of being."

"And that's why she's with Emmett. You can't force these things, Bella. Rosalie's beautiful, I can see that. I admit it, actually. But she's nothing like you. No one is like you. You are everything I could ever possibly want. Don't even wonder about that."

"Alright, alright, you win this round."

Edward smiled a triumphant smile as they entered the school's parking lot. As soon as they parked at his usual spot, Bella spotted Rosalie's _BMW_ parked right beside them, the four passengers leaning comfortably against it. Without her knowing, Edward had suddenly pulled Bella out of the car, closing the door behind her. She smiled a thanks before Alice jumped in delight and squealed out her name as soon as she spotted the young human.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed as Edward and Bella came closer.

"Hi, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie," Bella greeted, smiling at each one of them.

"Good morning, Bella," Jasper greeted politely.

"Bella!" Emmett acknowledged rather loudly.

"Hello," Rosalie said quite nicely.

"What's up with your hair, Bella? It's sticking out in places," Alice said, suddenly producing a hairbrush.

"Alice, my hair looks fine to me when I left the house this morning," Bella reasoned as Alice began to comb her hair.

"Not to me, Bella. With every guy staring at you right now, that look just doesn't pass," Alice said as Edward let out a soft growl, making her laugh. "Relax, Edward, no guy would even dare to come close to her with us hovering around her all the time, especially you."

"I think I like that, Alice. I hate having to be 'The New Girl' again, with all the special treatment from Mike and awkward conversations with Jessica," Bella related, hearing another growl from Edward at the mention of Mike's name.

"You won't have to be 'The New Girl' for too long, Bella," Jasper said, smiling at her.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, turning her attention to Jasper as Alice pulled the comb from her hair.

"Alice had a vision," Edward said, telling the story. "There's a new girl this year."

"Really?" Bella asked in surprise.

"How come I didn't know that?" Emmett suddenly asked, getting everyone's attention.

"Why do you even care?" Rosalie shot at him. "It's not like it's a big deal. You don't go to this school anymore. In fact, why are we even here in the first place? We're supposed to be in Dartmouth."

"I know. Wouldn't they suspect something?" Emmett asked.

"They won't ask questions if you won't give them room to ask," Jasper simply said. "Besides, Alice just wanted you, Emmett, to see what's about to come."

"What are you talking about?" Emmett asked curiously.

"Just watch right over there," Alice said, pointing towards the free parking cross them, causing everyone to follow where she was pointing.

The group silently waited and stared at the empty spot across from then. They didn't need to wait long, though, when Edward spotted a gray car furiously approaching them. Alice smirked as the car came in full view, stopping at the exact same point where she had pointed. It wasn't long until all eyes were on the gray car, and it wasn't long until Emmett's voice boomed inside their eardrums.

"HELL NO!" Emmet shouted, making Rosalie roll her eyes.

"I knew you wanted to see that, dear brother," Alice said, smirking at him.

"What's going on?" Bella asked, obviously confused.

"Watch," Edward whispered near her ear.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! IT'S THE _BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT_!!!" Emmett practically screamed at the top of his lungs. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SEEING IT WITH MY OWN TWO EYES!"

"Emmett's current dream car," Edward said, smiling at Bella.

"That explains it," Bella sighed. "Why doesn't he just buy one? You got all the money. I'm sure he can afford even a dozen of those."

"Carlisle won't allow it, since he just bought 2 new cars months ago. He's actually exercising what you humans call 'tightening the belt'," Edward explained, almost laughing at his own words.

"I can laugh at that, Edward, really. I can't imagine Carlisle, of all people, to do that," Bella said, smiling at him.

"He's just acting like the father that he's supposed to be," Jasper said.

"I don't see the whole point. It's not like it's too much," Emmett commented.

"How much is it exactly?" Bella asked, looking at Emmett and Jasper.

"About $139,500, at least," Jasper said nonchalantly.

"W-WHAT?!" Bella choked, her eyes widening in shock.

"See? It's not even worth a _Ferrari_," Emmett whined.

"I don't believe it," Bella whispered, making Edward chuckle.

"It's actually a nice car. I'd buy it myself if I wanted, but it's Emmett's. No need to take the fun from him," Edward related, squeezing Bella's shoulders.

"And there's a fairly good explanation why you like this car, right?" Bella asked, almost expecting it.

"Its engine is 6.0L W12 with AUTO 6SPD transmission," Edward said, smiling to himself.

"And?" Bella pressed.

"It's mileage is 6,080 miles," Edward finished.

"That's the story," Bella said, almost laughing.

"So, what's the big news, Alice?" Rosalie's voice asked, turning to her sister.

"Nothing, really. Just some new girl. Not much of a big deal, actually. I think she's from Italy or something," Alice related, looking bored.

"'Or something'?" Bella asked, looking at her questioningly.

"I haven't seen her, but I've seen Italy. My vision was still clouded. Since I saw a connection with Italy, I assume she came from Italy," Alice explained, earning nods from Bella.

"Are you telling me that a girl is driving the _Bentley Continental GT_?!" Emmett asked in frustration. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"What's wrong with a girl driving it?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly, the door of the driver's side of the car opened. The first thing Bella saw was a pair of what looked like new boots and the end of a pants come out from under the door. Sooner than later, a full body came out, looking around the school premises. If all eyes were on the car before, all eyes were ten times glued on the person that came out of it, most especially the guys, making Alice laugh a little.

The driver, who was obviously the new girl in town, gracefully closed the door of her shiny, gray _Bentley_ after retrieving her bag and books from inside. As she stood there looking at a piece of paper from her hand, Bella got a good look at her. She was a tall girl, close enough to be as tall as Rosalie, with white complexion and pinkish-red lips. Her chestnut hair was nothing but stunning tresses that cascaded perfectly past her shoulders, the soft curls flowing like it was a wedding gown's train. Turning slightly, as she looked up at the building before her, every man who were looking suddenly gulped as her face was in full view. Bella couldn't help but be amazed. She would never say it out loud, but the girl could simply knock Rosalie off her throne.

"Wow," Emmett breathed out, getting the group's attention. "I mean...wow..."

"What?" Rosalie snapped, looking at her husband.

"Rose...just look at her," Emmett said, gesturing towards the girl. "Now, look at Jasper."

"Jazz?" Alice asked, looking at her man.

"She's pretty," Jasper said, a little subtler. "Ravishing. That's just it."

"See?" Emmett reasoned. "What a girl."

"Well, she is pretty much too beautiful," Alice slowly said, earning a scowl from Rose. "Come on, Rose, she's beautiful. You can't possibly expect no human to ever be slightly as beautiful as you, do you?"

"I see it. I see it," Rose huffed, looking away. "Can we just go?"

"Look, she's walking," Emmett stated, getting their attentions once more.

"Girl's got taste. I gotta hand it to her," Alice said, smiling slightly.

"You're right," Rose said, turning around to look at the girl. "_Donna Karan_ off-the-shoulder bubble top, _Donna Karan_ moleskin riding pants, _Christian Louboutin_ goya boot plain booties. Classy and expensive. Wait a minute, is that a _Fendi_ selleria textured hobo?! How did she get her hands on that?! There were only 10 sold in the entire world!"

"She's does look rich," Bella whispered. "Wait, how did you just do that?"

"It's fashion, love," Edward said. "My sisters are experts at that."

Bella watched as the girl slowly walked over to the building she was very familiar with, having been to the school for a year now. All eyes seemed to follow her every move. And as stepped in the building, Bella couldn't help but notice just how similar she looked like with the Cullens: ever graceful, almost perfect, and filthy rich. She was like the human version of them.

"We better go. Classes will start soon," Edward said, waking her up from her reverie.

"Oh, right," Bella said, nodding her head.

"I'll see you guys at home," Alice said, looking at the rest of the Cullens. "Bye, Jazz."

"Bye," Jasper said, giving her a short kiss on the lips before jumping inside Rosalie's car.

Alice, Edward, and Bella all walked to their respective classrooms. Alice had to say goodbye first since she had a different schedule compared to Bella and Edward, who made sure that most of his classes were with Bella. As the morning bell rang, the couple took their seats near the back of the room. Mike Newton and a few of his peers were conversing about the new girl, who had managed to make heads turn like no other new girl in town.

Edward just smiled as he read Mike Newton's thoughts, and possibly every guy in school, regarding the new girl. Bella eyed him as he smirked and almost laughed as Mike's ever active and malicious thoughts filled his brain. She rolled her eyes and turned back in front just as their Calculus teacher, Mr. Varner, walked in to start the class.

Just as Mr. Varner set down his textbooks on his desk, a knock on the door was heard. All eyes turned to the door. The guys' faces lightened as soon as they spotted the new girl standing just outside, waiting to be called in. The girls rolled their eyes in aggravation but couldn't hold their admiration for the new version of Rosalie that was in their classroom. Edward almost laughed out loud, earning a look from Bella as the girl walked inside.

"Ah, of course, Miss La Vecchia. Please do come in," Mr. Varner sadi, waving her in.

The girl walked in, a burst of confidence surrounding her as she stood in front, handing Mr. Varner a slip of paper for him to sign. As she waited, she slowly observed the classroom, careful enough not to look at the students. When Mr. Varner handed her back the slip, she smiled politely and waited for him to say something.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class first?" Mr. Varner asked, smiling at her. "I'm sure your classmates would love to get to know you."

The girl simply nodded, offering another smile. She breathed in before turning to face the class. As soon as Edward laid eyes on her, his eyes widened in surprise. Clouded images suddenly appeared in his mind, forcing him to control himself from almost wincing. Bella glanced at him, but he only gave her a smile, making Bella look back in front.

"Good morning," the girl said, smiling sweetly. "I'm Daniela La Vecchia. I'm from Italy, actually. That's why my English is not that crisp. This is my first time in Forks, but I have been to America before. I'm really glad to meet all of you. And...I do hope that I can adapt here as soon as possible."

"You may be new here but your English is exquisite, Miss La Vecchia," Mr. Varner said. "Welcome to Forks and welcome to Calculus."

"Thank you," Daniela said, nodding towards the teacher.

"Now, why don't you take a seat over..." Mr. Varner began, looking around the class. "There - right behind Mr. Cullen."

Daniela followed Mr. Varner's gaze, and in an instant, she locked eyes with the most beautiful stranger she had ever seen. His topaz orbs stared at her like he wanted to devour every part of her, causing Daniela to feel a little shiver up her spine. She immediately shrugged it off and walked over to her desk, careful enough not to create eye contact with the certain Mr. Cullen again. The last thing she needed was some conflict in her life in America.

As Daniela sat behind him, Edward could swear she looked oddly familiar. Before he could think of anything else, another wave of clouded images flooded his mind, making him close his eyes and rub his nose bridge. He sighed and heard the voices of the thoughts of his classmates, causing him to roll his eyes in amusement. It seems that Mike Newton has found a new victim in his cheap and pathetic schemes to get a new girlfriend. And apparently, he intends to make sure he doesn't lose.

--

"Are you okay?" Bella questioned, looking at her boyfriend. "You look weird."

"I'm fine," Edward said, smiling at her as they walked to the cafeteria. "The teenage hormones in this school just keep getting worse and worse by the minute. Add to that the thoughts of all these men are so pathetic. It's like a house of laughs."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Bella said, shaking her head. "What are they thinking this time?"

"Do you even have to ask, love?" Edward asked, almost laughing as he heard another teenage hormone in action.

"I guess I don't," Bella laughed just before Alice showed up.

"Hey, Bella!" Alice chimed in. "Guess what?"

"What?" Bella had to ask.

"No, Alice," Edward firmly said, reading her mind.

"Rosalie said I should!" Alice argued. "I can't disobey Rose."

"Don't do it," Edward said, still bothered by his thoughts. "She can get it off the Internet."

"She won't. She wants the details from the best source possible," Alice stated.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Bella interrupted, getting curious by the minute.

"I'm going to befriend the new girl," Alice said excitedly.

"Really?" Bella asked, smiling at her. "What's wrong with that, Edward?"

"She's just gonna ask her about the bag she had. Rosalie's orders," Edward explained. "It's ridiculous."

"It's not! It's a fashion emergency!" Alice said as the three of them walked in the cafeteria. "Now, where is she?"

"There she is," Bella announced, gesturing towards the line of people. "Looks like Mike Newton has a new crush."

"More like a prey," Edward mumbled, making Alice laugh. "Come on, let's get you something to eat, Bella."

"And I will be off meeting Daniela," Alice said before walking away from them.

"She's really gonna do it," Bella said as the two of them followed Alice to the lunch line.

"Rosalie did warn her," Edward said, picking out things for Bella.

"Hey, I won't eat all of those," Bella said, looking at the things Edward got for her.

"The rest are for me and Alice," Edward explained, chuckling. "Let's go."

Edward and Bella made their way to their usual spot in the cafeteria. It seemed that the eyes that followed them before had lessened since the arrival of the new girl. As Bella began to dig in her food, Edward carefully followed Alice's conversation with Daniela by the line. He drew in his breath as his adopted sister practically forced her to their table, her vampire hands taking the tray of food from her. Alice smiled as she softly pushed Daniela to the empty seat next across from Bella, setting her tray in front of her, much to Mike Newton's grievance.

Bella looked up, almost dropping the pizza she was eating. She stared into the most beautiful set of purple eyes she had ever seen in her life. The face that held it was incomparable as well. For the first time in her life, Bella found the facial features of beauty that a vampire did not hold. Exaggerated as it sounded, it was all true, and Bella couldn't help but feel so minute as she sat there across from the Italian beauty that could knock even Rosalie from her title.

"Bella, Edward, this is Daniela," Alice introduced, gesturing towards the new girl. "Though I'm sure you already know her. She is, after all, your classmate in Calculus and Government."

"Yeah," Bella managed to say, smiling at her. "Nice to meet you."

"This is Bella Swan, she's like a sister to me. She used to be 'The New Girl' last year," Alice related. "And this is Edward Cullen, my brother and Bella's boyfriend."

"He's also my classmate in Music," Daniela said, gesturing towards Edward.

"Really?" Bella and Alice asked at the same time.

"Yes," Edward said. "I was surprised to find her there, actually."

"I have, however, not yet been introduced to you properly," Daniela said, not looking at them. "I do hope I'm not imposing here."

"No, of course not," Bella said after shaking her hand.

"The pleasure is ours," Edward said, kissing her hand instead of shaking it.

"Thank you very much," Daniela said, almost making a face when Edward's cold lips contacted with her hand.

As Daniela went ahead to eat her lunch, Bella eyed Edward. It shocked her that he had been friendly - too friendly, to say the least - when he kissed Daniela's hand. She knew that Edward had never been that friendly to anyone, not even her. His sudden change in mood surprised her so much that she didn't know what to think. As she looked at him, he seemed to be thinking about something, his face not showing anything more than contemplation. Bella wondered what was bothering him, but decided to just leave it at that. As long as there were no murderous vampires or werewolves, she was alright with it.

"So, Daniela, I was wondering..." Alice trailed, earning a look from Edward.

"Yes?" Daniela asked, suddenly looking at her.

"Wherever did you get that amazing bag?" Alice asked, hopeful.

"Oh, the bag..." Daniela barely whispered.

"Yeah, I mean, it's a limited edition bag, right? I'm just curious how you got your hands on one," Alice explained, her voice perky.

"It was a gift...from a family friend," Daniela replied, smiling sweetly at Alice.

"What? Who would give you such a gift? And how did that person ever get one?!" Alice asked in full surprise.

"I live in Italy. Anyone could easily get their hands in a _Fendi _bag," Daniela said matter-of-factly, making Edward chuckle.

"But a limited edition one?" Alice asked, still curious. "How?"

"I guess it's in the people you know," Daniela said, looking rather uneasy.

"Who gave you that anyway?" Alice pressed.

"The person who gave this to me is..." Daniela paused, almost as if she was thinking twice if she would spill it out. "Karl Lagerfeld."

"Hold it. Karl Lagerfeld?! The Karl Lagerfeld?! The creative director of _Fendi_?!" Alice asked in a very shocked voice, causing quite a stir in the cafeteria. "You're friends with the guru of_ Fendi_?!"

"Oh, caro Signore," Daniela mumbled, making Edward laugh. (Oh, dear Lord.)

"Signorina," Edward called, getting Daniela's attention. "Mi dispiace per il mio comportamento della sorella. Lei è come quello. Non preoccuparti, però, non è un grande affare. Mi scuso per l'improvvisa esplosione." (I'm sorry for my sister's behavior. She is always like that. Don't worry, though, it's not a big deal. I apologize for the sudden outburst.)

Bella glanced at Edward with wide eyes after hearing him talk in a language, she assumed to be Italian, she didn't understand at all. Edward only smiled at her, squeezing her hand lovingly. Daniela looked at him, not knowing how to address what he had just said. As Edward looked at her with a warm smile on his face, Daniela nodded, giving him a small smile before turning back to Alice.

"Actually, my mother is friends with him," Daniela related, managing to break into a smile.

"Your mother is friends with The Genius himself?" Alice asked in shock. "How?"

"It seems that my mother has worked with him before," Daniela said, thoughtful of her words.

"When?" Alice pressed.

"My mother did a magazine interview/shoot once and it was Karl Lagerfeld who had dressed her for the shoot," Daniela stated.

"Your mom did a magazine spread? Why?" Bella asked, almost as curious as Alice.

"Family business," Daniela replied almost too immediately.

"One of the many?" Edward asked, getting into the conversation.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Daniela said, dismissing the conversation.

Edward nodded and gave Alice a warning glance before setting his eyes back on Bella. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before coaxing her to continue eating her lunch. Bella smiled at him before getting back to her food. As soon as the bell rang, Daniela immediately excused herself to head off to her next class. Alice let her go, feeling like a total idiot for having to force out the personal details of her life.

"Was Daniela offended?" Bella asked Edward as they walked to their Physics class.

"Not really. She had a lot in mind, but nothing close to the prying we did to her," Edward replied, kissing Bella's head.

"Are you reading her mind now?" Bella had to ask.

"Yes, and there's nothing in there but surviving this day without having to run into any trouble," Edward said, smiling at her.

"She seems pretty nice," Bella said. "And beautiful."

"Nothing compared to you," Edward whispered near her ear.

"Edward," Bella warned.

"I'm just telling the truth in front of my eyes and in my heart, love," Edward said before they entered Bella's English classroom.

"I still disagree," Bella said as Edward held the seat for her to take. "Thank you."

"You always disagree, Bella," Edward almost laughed as he stood beside her.

"Because it's the truth. Did you not look at Rosalie? Did you not look at Daniela?" Bella asked, stressing the names of each girl.

"I don't know why we keep on having this conversation when you know that I will win in the end, love," Edward said with a smirk on his face.

"Thank heavens you're adorable," Bella said as her teacher walked in.

"I should go," Edward said, kissing the top of her head. "I'll see you later."

Edward walked in vampire speed to his next class. As soon as he neared the classroom, he began walking in normal human speed and sat down on an empty seat on the back. The usual scent of his classmates surrounding him made no change in Edward. He closed his eyes and let the thoughts of the people wander in his head. When he got to Bella's class, his teacher walked in and called the class to order. Edward's eyes fluttered open when he heard the voice of Daniela. _Of course._

"Oh, yes," Mr. Banner said as Daniela approached him with a slip. "Welcome to Physics, Miss La Vecchia."

"Thank you," Daniela said before walking back to her table with an annoying suitor hovering just beside her.

"Now, before I begin, I'd like to announce a project for all of you," Mr. Banner said, walking in front. "I know, I know. It's just the first day, but it's for Science Week, and it will be submitted three weeks from now, alright?"

The class groaned in frustration.

"Don't worry, you'll be in pairs with this project," Mr. Banner announced, making the class hopeful. "But I will assign the pairs."

The class reacted once more.

"No complaining now. Alright, let's start with..." Mr. Banner went on and on with his class list. "And for Mr. Cullen, your partner will be...Miss La Vecchia."

"Oh," Daniela said, looking at the teacher.

"Is that alright with you, Miss La Vecchia?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Of course, Mr. Banner," Daniela replied.

"I'm sure you will understand," Mr. Banner said before continuing on with the pairs. "Now, please move on to your partners because we will begin an exercise for today."

Before Daniela could even stand up from her seat, Edward had already materialized in front of her. Daniela looked up at his perfectly beautiful face in full surprise. He offered her a breath-taking smile before gesturing towards the unoccupied seat next to her. She nodded in response, giving him the signal to make himself comfortable. Edward willingly took the seat next to her and gave her a small smile before returning part of his attention to Mr. Banner.

The class listened intently, or so Mr. Banner assumed, to what Mr. Banner was discussing about their first lesson and the instructions for their exercise that day. It was a simple high school physics exercise, nothing to be worried about. Especially not for someone who has repeated high school for God knows how many times; but not for the students around him, who just couldn't pay attention for even just a minute or two. As Mr. Banner went around to pass a piece of paper that they need to fill-out, Edward let his gaze fall on Daniela, who was quietly seated beside him. In that moment, another wave of vague visions flashed before him, causing him to flinch.

"Are you alright?" Daniela's voice boomed in Edward's ears.

"What?" Edward asked, as if he was surprised.

"Well, you flinched. I thought something was wrong," Daniela kindly explained.

"Nothing's wrong," Edward stated, looking away.

"Alright," Daniela simply said as she took a paper from Mr. Banner.

"I'm glad you two are partners. This will give the other students a chance to let their brains work in this subject," Mr. Banner said, pausing in front of their table. "Good thing I have two of the brightest minds in this school as partners in this class."

Mr. Banner stalked off to a different table after that, leaving Edward and Daniela to themselves. Edward sat stiffly in his seat as Daniela casually read through the paper that was given to them. He looked at her closely, for once, and finally saw her dark purple eyes. As he looked at her, he realized that no undefinable images had flashed before him just yet, confusing him even more. Not knowing that he had been blankly staring at her for quite some time now, Edward was miraculously surprised when he heard Daniela's voice addressing him a question.

"What?" Daniela asked, looking questioningly at Edward.

"What?" Edward repeated dumbly. "I'm sorry. I had a momentary lapse."

"Right..." Daniela breathed out. "So, this exercise looks simple enough. We should get started."

"Sure," Edward said, taking the paper from her.

The two of them began answering the simple enough physics questions that were written on the sheet of paper Mr. Banner had given them. Simple for them, but terribly mind-boggling for the rest of their classmates. Edward watched her as she continued to solve the remaining last problem in their paper. It was very easy for him to just write down the answer in a matter of seconds but knew better than to show-off what could be considered as a scientific mystery of sorts. She was smart enough as it is; she didn't need his help anymore. Let the human do what she's really good at.

"Done," Daniela said, handing the paper to Edward.

"Good," Edward said, not needing to glance at her answer to know that it was correct.

"We should submit it," Daniela said, looking at him. "Here, let me do it."

"No, no, I'll do it myself," Edward said, walking ahead of her. "Mr. Banner."

"Why am I not surprised, Mr. Cullen?" Mr. Banner asked, smiling at him. "You and Miss La Vecchia can go ahead. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir," Edward politely said before turning around and walking back to Daniela. "We're good."

"Okay," Daniela said, fixing her things. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

"Right," Edward said as Daniela walked off. _What?_

Edward followed suit after Daniela, taking his time to make sure that the students didn't think he was following her. As soon as he exited the room, he found her walking along the hallway to her locker, which he found out to be a few numbers away from Bella. She stopped in front of it and opened the door, throwing in her physics book before closing it and walking away. Edward followed her quietly, wanting to know what she had to do with the images that had flashed in his head, watching as she headed out of the door and out to the parking lot. He sighed before walking away and stalking off to the gym, where his last class was.

He sat comfortably on the bleachers, staring out into the court as if he was watching a basketball game. His mind raced back to the images that had flashed in his head before. Three times it happened that day – all of which when he saw Daniela. It was weird, if that was the correct word to use at that moment. They weren't visions like Alice's, he was sure of it. They looked so clouded, they looked more like memories to him. As he pondered about it, he suddenly heard distant footsteps coming closer to the gym, and then Daniela's scent filled his nostrils. He turned around to face the double doors of the gym and found her walking off to the girls' locker room, not even knowing that there was someone else in the gym with her. About few minutes later, she emerged back out, now fully clothed with Gym class attire and a cellular phone in hand. She stopped just beside the bleachers near the locker rooms and finally spotted Edward sitting by his lonesome on the bleachers across.

"How long have you been there?" Daniel asked in surprise.

"Longer than you," Edward replied dryly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," Daniela apologized.

"No harm done," Edward said, nodding before leaving her alone to change in his Gym clothes.

Edward walked in vampire speed to the boys' locker room. He sighed heavily as he heard the bell ring, signaling the end of the previous class period. He immediately changed and walked out of the locker room just as the students began to file in. He smiled when he spotted Bella with Alice. He almost forgot that Alice would be the one to pick-up Bella after English, explaining that she needed to talk to her about the importance of having a birthday party. And making sure that he wasn't there to side with Bella, he was politely asked by Alice to go ahead to Gym.

"Hey," Edward said, hugging his beloved. "How was English?"

"Dull. Oh, but my seat mates kept talking about who will ask Daniela out first," Bella said as they walked over to the showers.

"I'm guessing Mike won," Edward said, smiling at her.

"No doubt," Bella laughed before leaving him to change.

"So, did you manage to convince her?" Edward asked, turning to his sister, who had already finished changing.

"As if you don't know," Alice snorted. "I'm halfway there. You do know that she will end up agreeing on it. I saw it myself."

"Yes, but she could have an impulsive decision to decline," Edward reasoned. "Just give her your puppy dog eyes and you will win."

"I know. I'm close to that," Alice said before she stopped and stared into space. "Ooh..."

"I'm sure Rosalie would hate that," Edward told her.

"It's not about her anyway. It's Bella's birthday," Alice argued just before Bella walked over to them.

"Please don't tell me you're talking about that ridiculous birthday party again," Bella groaned as Edward snaked an arm around her waist. "I don't want or need one, Alice."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Bella," Alice said. "You're turning 18! You need this!"

"You can find someone else who's celebrating her 18th birthday this month," Bella stated. "This is my declination, Alice. Period."

Gym had never been Bella's friend since the beginning. And that day was no exception. The first sport that they needed to engage in was volleyball. The teams had already been made, and she was with Alice, Edward, Angela, Ben, and Daniela, who was kindly invited by Alice. As she stood right beside Edward at the back, waiting for him to serve, Bella let her eyes fall on Daniela, who was situated in front of her, just beside Alice. The eyes of the boys were glued on her, even their opponents, as her curves remained evident even with the awfully loose Gym clothes she had on. Bella had to fight herself from rolling her eyes when she saw Mike Newton ogle her like she was the cover of a magazine.

"Bella, move," Edward said as he came close to her.

"What?" Bella asked, shaking up from her reverie. "Oh, yeah, sorry."

"You should concentrate on not getting yourself hit by the ball," Edward reminded her. "Not that I would let any ball harm you."

"Thanks, Edward," Bella said, smiling sweetly at him. "Why are you letting them get the chance to hit the ball?"

"If I hit it harder, the ball might die, Bella," Edward said.

"Of course," Bella said, rolling her eyes.

"Move," Edward instructed after Alice served the ball, giving them another point.

"Edward, Bella," Alice called. "Watch."

Bella and Edward followed Alice's gaze that landed on Daniela. She was busy dribbling the ball before setting her eyes on their opponent. In a flawless move, she threw the ball in the air and hit it as hard as she could, sending the ball flying on the other side of the court, not even seen by the opponent. Bella's jaw dropped in surprise, her eyes popping out. _Amazing. And she's not even a vampire._

Daniela breathed out as the ball was tossed back to her. She glanced towards Alice, who was cheering for her, and smiled gratefully. Bella watched as Daniela took another breath before serving the ball as powerful as before. After about three hits, she was finally done and let Ben make the next shot. Edward's eyes narrowed as Daniela rubbed her sore right hand, carefully twisting it before setting her eyes back on the game.

As the ball flew to the other side of the net, Bella's team braced themselves for the hit back. Edward stood in a comfortable position, his eyes moving from the ball to Bella. When the ball was hit back to their side of the court, Alice's eyes fluttered open as soon as Daniela made an unexpected jump and spiked the ball to the other side of the court, scaring off their opponent as it hit the ground with a loud thud and bounced uncontrollably.

"Oh, wow! That was amazing, Daniela!" Alice exclaimed in full joy.

"That was great!" Angela complimented.

"Truly astonishing!" Ben supplemented.

"Thanks," Daniela said before turning around and rubbing her hand. "Ow..."

The game progressed on until the end of the period, declaring Bella's team the winner with 15-3 points. As soon as Coach Clapp ended the class, Bella immediately hit the locker room, changing as fast as she could. Checking herself once in the mirror, she smiled before walking out to meet Alice and Edward, who were both sitting on the bleachers, waiting for her to arrive. As Bella neared them, she noticed Edward holding an ice pack, playfully tossing it back and forth to Alice.

"What's with the ice pack?" Bella asked, walking over to Edward.

"A swollen hand," Alice replied as she caught the pack.

"Who has a swollen hand?" Bella asked, looking at Edward.

"Daniela!" Alice exclaimed, calling over the Italian beauty as soon as she stepped out of the locker room.

"Yes?" Daniela asked when she reached the three of them.

"Here," Alice said, handing her the ice pack.

"How..?" Daniela breathed out.

"You kept rubbing your hand after your set. It was that obvious," Alice stated, smiling at her. "Go on. It'll help."

"Thanks," Daniela managed to say before placing the pack on her hand. "I better go. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Great game."

"Wait, are you gonna be able to drive home?" Alice asked just as Daniela turned around to leave.

"I'll be fine. Thanks," Daniela said before completely walking away.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Bella asked Alice.

"She'll be home safe," Alice said, smiling at them. "That's what I saw. Now, why don't we get me home?"

Edward led the way to his _Volvo_, opening the door for Bella and Alice, letting them hop in before walking over to his side of the car. As he opened the door, he heard the roar of Daniela's car drive off. He rolled his eyes as another set of male hormones in thinking crashed in his brain before getting inside his car and driving away in his usual speed to the Cullens' mansion. As soon as he dropped off Alice, he hurried to Bella's house.

The two of them walked in quietly and went straight to Bella's room. They talked and spent the day like they usually did, with Edward watching her as she finished her homeworks. As the night caved in with Charlie's arrival, Edward bid Bella a temporary goodbye before driving his car back to his home. No later than that, he quickly ran back to Bella's house, climbing in through her window just as Bella and Charlie sat down to eat. About thirty minutes later, Bella opened the door of her room, spotting her beloved lying on her bed.

"A human minute, love?" Edward asked on routine.

"Yes," Bella said before stalking off to the bathroom.

Edward patiently waited for Bella's return. In no time, she walked back in her room, setting her toiletries inside her closet before sitting down on her bed with him. For a moment, silence filled the both of them. Each content with the mere act of holding on to each other as a form of intimacy. Every now and then, Edward would kiss Bella's hand, cheek, or head, and once, her lips, but ever careful not to go any further in order not to test the boundaries of his control.

"Edward, can I ask you something?" Bella questioned.

"Ask away, love," Edward said, smiling to himself.

"Why did you kiss Daniela's hand during lunch?" Bella reluctantly asked.

Edward laughed as soon as he heard her question. Bella grumbled, moving from his embrace, but failed miserably.

"You know that I'm far stronger than a mere embrace, Bella," Edward reminded.

"If you don't want to answer the question, then don't," Bella said, trying her best to look annoyed.

"It was nothing," Edward said, smiling down at her.

"What?" Bella asked in confusion.

"I'm a gentleman, Bella. My parents taught me how to respect women. That was a small act of respect and acknowledgment," Edward explained. "I promise, it was nothing."

"I understand," Bella said, rather embarrassed.

"Were you jealous?"

"No, no, no! No...yes."

"Why? You know you're the only one that I love."

"It's just that...you never did that to me. It was...surprising."

"I know. I'm sorry if you were jealous. It meant nothing. I was just being kind. I was shocked about it myself, but it was nothing. I never expected my 1900s etiquette to kick in at that time."

"Well, at least Daniela didn't react much."

"She's Italian. She's probably used to it."

"Really?"

"Really. Now go to sleep, love. You're already tired," Edward said, allowing their bodies to lie comfortably on the bed. "Sleep, my Bella. I love you."

"I love you, too," Bella said before closing her eyes and letting sleep take over her.

Edward remained staring at Bella's face for about two hours, until his mind trailed off to the images of that day. He stood up and walked over to the window, allowing himself to think harder than usual. He rubbed his temples in frustration as the images remained but a clouded mystery in his mind. He sighed before turning back to his angel. _Memories. _

--

**A.N.** It's a bit complicated for now. But I needed to get out the first day thing. Later chapters will probably be shorter. I promise I will try to get all the complications of the plot out in no time. So, what do you think? I know, it's kinda lame. But I would really love to hear from you. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 – As If You Didn't Already Know

Disclaimer: I have no intention whatsoever to claim the ownership of this franchise. I am simply a fan trying to express my desire to be selfish through my own stories with my idols. Please don't banish me to hell for this.

--

It has been five days since the start of school in Forks High, and five days since the arrival of Daniela La Vecchia, the Italian princess that came to capture the eyes and attention of every single living and breathing human male specimen in Forks High School. With the great exception of Edward Cullen, of course, he was not human, after all. Unfortunately for Daniela, not only did she attract the admiration of the guys, she also attracted the envy and irritation of the normal human girls. With her somewhat perfect face, slender waist, long legs, and just plain drop-dead gorgeous being, all the girls in Forks High couldn't deny growing hatred for her, overshadowing their jealousy for her perfection and, obviously, great and expensive fashion choices. Only Bella, Alice, and Angela were the decent enough girls in Forks High that did not see her as a threat, or someone to be jealous of. She was nothing but a sweet and kind girl.

But no matter how criticizing the stares of the girls or how disgusting the intentions of the guys were, Daniela seemed to be as regular as regular can be. She always manages to bring out a sweet smile and a happy face, even if it was raining like mad in Forks. And it came to Bella's understanding that Daniela is what she shows, much to the help of Edward, who constantly hears nothing but good thoughts in Daniela's mind. But as the days went by, Bella pretty much decided that she was just dreaming about a girl as nice as Daniela La Vecchia, who is like the epitome of everything good in the face of the earth.

"I don't get it," Bella said as she stepped out of Edward's shiny car. "How did that happen?"

"Only you know," Edward replied, smiling at his girlfriend.

"But how?" Bella pressed. "How did Alice ever manage to convince me into doing this stupid birthday party?"

"I didn't," Alice interrupted. "I was just waiting for you to crack. But nonetheless, I got the invitations right here. Best time for you to say 'yes' because it's Friday, and your party's on Wednesday."

"It's a school night," Bella reasoned. "No one will attend. Wait, sure, go ahead and give out the invitations. We can have the party on a Wednesday."

"Don't assume so soon, Bella. Everyone will come. Trust me. I saw it," Alice said before walking away to start giving out invitations.

"How does this keep happening to me?" Bella groaned as Edward laughed and pulled her to their building.

Classes went, unfortunately, not so smoothly for Bella. The first two hours saw her being bombarded by eager attendants of her super hot party. From the usual suspects, Mike and Jessica, to surprise attendees like Lauren, everyone came to her to talk about the party that was rumored to be the best one there will ever be in the face of Forks. Adding to the spice of the already hot news is the location of the party itself: the Cullen mansion.

"This is getting way out of hand," Bella breathed out as she and Edward walked towards the cafeteria. "Everyone's so...friendly to me today."

"And you don't want that?" Edward questioned.

"No!" Bella exclaimed. "I mean, I like the idea of friendly people, but not because of this! It's ridiculous!"

"You're the star of the party Alice Cullen in throwing. You should've seen this one coming," Edward told her.

"Ugh!" Bella groaned as they entered the cafeteria.

"Bella! Edward!" Alice called out, waving them over. "Food's here."

"Thanks, Alice," Bella managed to say before sitting down across from her. "Is this some sort of exchange for me agreeing in this stupid party?"

"No, Edward told me to go ahead and get your food since he knew I was already here," Alice explained, showing her a single invitation. "I got here ahead because I need to make one last invite."

"Who?" Bella asked in curiosity.

"Who else?" Edward said, leaning back in his seat.

"Oh, Daniela!" Alice called over, spotting the brunette leaving the lunch line.

"Hello," Daniela greeted, smiling at the three as she got their table. "It's nice to see you again. Is there something you need?"

"Don't be silly, Daniela. Come, sit down with us," Alice suggested, gesturing towards the seat next to her.

"Thank you," Daniela said, sitting down beside the bubbly vampire. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Alice said, realizing that she's been looking at her weirdly. "I just wanna give you this. I do hope you can come."

"What's this?" Daniela asked before opening the card. "A birthday party?"

"Yes, it's Bella's 18th!" Alice exclaimed in excitement. "The theme is 'Be Yourself'."

"Thank you for the invitation," Daniela said, glancing towards Bella with a smile on her face. "The Cullens?"

"Oh, yes, it's our house. The map's right there," Alice said, pointing at a small piece of paper inside the envelope.

"You won't miss it," Bella said, making Alice laugh. "It's a really, really nice house."

"Yes, of course," Daniela said, setting back the invitation inside the envelope.

"Is something wrong?" Alice asked, looking at her.

"No, nothing is wrong," Daniela said, smiling at her. "Your house...I think I've seen it."

"What do you mean?" Alice questioned.

"I was actually driving around Forks, trying to get a picture of the city, when I came across a tall, three-story mansion that's a few minutes from my home," Daniela explained, glancing from Alice to Edward. "It's a very beautiful house."

"You live in the old Sunday mansion?" Alice asked in surprise.

"Sunday mansion?" Bella asked, curious.

"The engineer who built it was Jonathan Sunday. It was for a newly married couple, but they separated even before their wedding. Eventually, the house got finished and the guy who owned it just left it there to be sold," Alice related. "It's a really big house with a great view of the river near our home."

"The one near the Cullen house?" Bella asked, looking at Daniela. "You live there?"

"I thought we were talking about the Cullen mansion here," Daniela laughed. "But, yes, I do live there. And thank you for the invitation. I'll have to ask permission, though. I'll see if I could come."

"Sure," Bella said, smiling at her. "It's on Wednesday."

"A school night," Daniela breathed. "I'll see what I can do."

"Great! This party is going to be awesome!" Alice declared, clapping her hands together.

Bella groaned before looking back at the face of Edward. He had been silent the whole time, not even moving an inch from his spot beside her. She looked at him and was almost confused at the expression in his face. He looked so bothered – troubled, even; it was as if he was thinking about something very dire. As her eyes bore on him, Edward moved, looking at Bella, a smile playing on his face. He reached out and touched her face, feeling her cheeks turn warm at his touch.

Bella smiled as she took his hand, holding it firmly before getting back to her food. Lunch went by as quickly as it came. Every once in a while, Bella would be approached by students, asking about her party. She managed to survive it all, not even breaking a single sweat. Hopefully, the day would end sooner than what's to be expected, before any more crazy questions from, possibly, the whole senior year student body bombard Bella.

--

Physics, for Edward, had always been quite fascinating. After repeating it for who knows how many times, the subject seems to be growing more and more interesting as different discoveries are made each and every day. Just like any scientific subject, or any subject at all, even with all the new discoveries, Physics was a cinch for hundred-year old vampire. But even with his vast knowledge on the subject, and how easily he could finish the lab work in a matter of seconds or minutes, Edward couldn't help but patiently wait for his lab partner to carefully examine each question in their lab sheet, considering every possible answer she could come up with. As much as he hated to wait, he knew that he needed to; she was his subject – an observation he needed to focus on. Every intake of breath, every sigh, every smile, every thoughtful gaze, every confused look – everything – made Edward flinch as images flashed before him at the same time she moved.

His plain gaze seem to not affect her. She knew that he was watching her, his eyes fixated on hers. But it didn't bother her, or, at least, she didn't let it bother her at all. The thoughts inside her mind were of nothing but the Physics exercise about Mathematical Physics, which was a breeze for both Edward and her, if she would only allow herself to believe so easily in her speculated answers. It bothered Edward, to say the least, that she seemed to be not affected by him – much too different from all the human girls he has met, if he would believe Bella's stories. He wondered if she was hiding something, but it was impossible, considering the fact that he could completely read her thoughts. It was troubling.

"Bernoulli's principle," Edward suddenly said, getting Daniela's attention. "Applying the conservation of energy in form of the work-kinetic energy theorem, we will find that the change in kinetic energy of the system equals the net work done on the system."

"Incompressible fluids," Daniela comprehended.

"Bernoulli's principle states that for an inviscid flow, an increase in the speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid's gravitational potential energy," Edward stated, saying it word by word.

"We're done," Daniela said, a smile on her face.

"Mr. Banner," Edward called, getting the attention of their teacher.

"Well, you may go ahead, as usual," Mr. Banner laughed, walking away from them after taking their finished work.

"I'll see you then," Daniela said, smiling at Edward before walking off ahead, like she always did.

"Would you mind if I join you today? It gets lonely waiting alone for the class to start," Edward lied as he caught up with her on the door. "I would usually pick-up Bella, but she insisted I go ahead since I have about thirty minutes ahead of me."

"Not at all, I suppose," Daniela said, giving him another smile as they walked to her locker. "I will have to go out to my car for a bit."

"I know," Edward told her, walking at her pace as they neared the exit door of their building.

"You've been too observant," Daniela accused him. "But sometimes, it's like you can read my mind."

"Right," Edward said, trying to make it sound sarcastic. _You would think._

Daniela remained quiet after that, but Edward kept tabs on her thoughts, blocking away useless ones. She closed her car door before facing Edward. He smiled at her, offering to carry her bag. She declined, of course, walking past him instead. They walked in silence after Edward caught up with her. He listened intently to her thoughts, but nothing useful could be used by him. No answers were presented in anything she thought of. _Could she possibly block certain thoughts, or could she just be like this all the time? _

Walking inside the gym, the two of them parted ways almost immediately as soon as they neared each of their designated locker rooms. Edward finished changing, obviously, faster than Daniela could even take out her things from her bag. He positioned himself on the bench nearest the locker rooms. He kept his thoughts focused on both Bella, or, at least, the closest person that she could reach Bella with, Mike Newton, and Daniela, making sure that each of them had equal "air time" in his brain. About a few minutes later, Daniela emerged from the locker rooms, her eyes dropping on him. Edward offered a smile, looking at her as she made a beeline in front of him.

Daniela stared at him, her eyes scanning his topaz ones. It was then that Edward felt a wave of emotions rush through his body, forcing him to wince internally. As he looked at Daniela, who was boring a gaze on him, another set of images flashed before his eyes, now longer than the rest before. Edward's eyes narrowed as Daniela came close to him, his remained planted in his position, allowing himself to wait until she came closer and closer.

"You have something on your face," Daniela said, brushing some dirt off Edward's cheek. "There."

"Thanks," Edward managed to say before Daniela took a seat three steps away from him.

Edward glared at her before walking over and sitting beside her. Daniela looked up at Edward, a confused look on her face. Edward felt another wave of emotions run through his body. He closed his eyes before opening them again, now in its onyx form. Daniela felt herself stiffen at the sudden change in the color of Edward's eyes. He looked away and felt his eyes come back to its topaz shade. _What happened? I'm not thirsty. I went hunting yesterday._

"Are you alright?" Daniela questioned, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," Edward said, facing her once more. "I am perfectly fine."

Daniela simply nodded before turning away. Edward hesitated before opening his mouth to speak, only to be beaten by Daniela.

"What would you like for our project to be?" Daniela asked, looking at him. "I was thinking...Thermodynamics?"

"Newton?" Edward questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"There are five," Daniela clarified. "It's not just Newton."

"You want to delve in with the other two?" Edward asked.

"Do you mind?" Daniela hesitated.

"Whatever you wish," Edward assured her.

"Grazie," Daniela said, giving him a small smile. (Thank you.)

"Posso chiederle qualcosa?" Edward asked, completely changing the subject, earning a nod from Daniela. "Quanto tempo pensate di restare in America?" (Can I ask you something?

How long are you planning to stay in America?)

Daniela looked at him carefully before smiling to herself and shifting her gaze in front of them.

"Non so, effettivamente. E 'tutto ai miei genitori - bene, mio padre, davvero. Come probabilmente avete sentito, sono qui solo con nessuno, ma un custode con me," Daniela related. (I don't really know, actually. It's all up to my parents - well, my father, really. As you have probably heard, I'm alone here with no one but a guardian with me.)

"Perché lui?" Edward questioned. (Why him?)

"E 'patetico, ma è supposta per mantenere me sul mio piede, mentre io sono lontano da i miei genitori. Ma onestamente? E 'effettivamente facendo un grande lavoro," Daniela explained, looking back at Edward's face. "I guess I'm not the big girl I thought I was." (It's pathetic, but he's supposed to keep me on my toes while I'm away from my parents. But honestly? He's actually doing a great job.)

Edward looked at her, their eyes locked in a comfortable gaze. There was a short silence between the two of them before the crowd of students began to pile up inside the gym. Daniela tore her gaze away from Edward as soon as the students started coming in through the door. She smiled as she spotted Bella and Alice walking towards them. Edward stood up from his seat and walked over to Bella's side in an instant. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before coaxing her to go ahead and change. As Bella's retreating back turned to them, Alice gave Edward a look, telling him that she saw everything, heard everything. Edward shrugged, not letting her get to him, only allowing himself to think for a while, for now.

Gym class continued on without Bella breaking any bones. Daniela had to lower her use of force when hitting the ball since her hand was still a little bit swollen. But even with a nearly-broken hand, Bella's team managed to win – still with the big help of Daniela's powerful spikes and amazing service. As Bella, Edward, and Alice exited the building, she spotted the familiar gray _Bentley _of Daniela being surrounded by a lot of guys. The three of them stopped by Edward's _Volvo_, trying to get a good look at what was going on when Daniela suddenly appeared, stopping in front of the crowd and looking completely surprised or horror-stricken .

Edward suddenly laughed, walking beside Bella and holding her by the shoulders. Alice soon join him in laughter, leaning against the car door from her side. Bella stared, not knowing what they knew that they haven't told her. She sighed before looking directly at Edward, who instantly calmed down and looked at her, smiling his famous crooked smile, sending waves of love in Bella's direction. He pulled her close, facing her body to the crowd of boys surrounding Daniela's car.

"Daniela's a car enthusiast just like the rest of us Cullens," Edward whispered near Bella's ear. "You just don't know how annoyed she is that those guys are smudging her car, some have probably even dropped saliva on it."

"That's disgusting," Bella commented, making Edward laugh.

"If she only knew what they needed," Alice laughed, getting Bella's attention. "They just wanna ask her if they could escort her to your party."

"How did you know that?" Bella questioned.

"I have foreseen, Bella," Alice said, smiling at her.

"You should see what happens next, love," Edward suggested, wrapping an arm around her waist. "This is better than cable."

"You do love seeing human lives tormented," Bella sighed, making Edward laugh once more.

"Just not yours," Edward reminded, earning a small smile from Bella.

"It's about to start," Alice said, smirking at the crowd.

Daniela stood with a perplexed expression on her face. She looked like she was completely confused. As she waited for anything to happen, Tyler finally spotted her, getting the other boys' attention. The young Italian woke up from her thoughts and quickly walked over to her car, setting the sights of the guys glued on her. She reached out from inside her bag and took out her keys as she walked over to driver's side of the door, the boys making an opening for her. She stopped as she opened the door, holding it open, before facing the crowd.

"Is there something that I can do for you?" Daniela kindly asked, even managing to break into a smile.

There was a small uproar heard, causing Bella to look a bit horrified. As Edward pulled her to the side, gently setting her inside the car, Bella could swear she heard a muffled cry from someone in the horde of guys that bombarded Daniela for dating services. The last thing she heard, though, as they drove away from the scene of the crime was the roaring of the gray _Bentley_'s engine, causing quite a stir in the school.

--

"What is this?" Bella demanded as soon as she stepped inside the Cullen house.

There, in front of her, were racks of dresses that were aligned just by the grand piano on the left side of the door. Rosalie was standing by one of them, casually browsing through the different dresses that were hanging on it. Jasper was sitting by the sofa, browsing through an old magazine. Emmett, however, was walking over to Bella, his arms stretched wide open.

"Bella!" Emmett greeted, giving her big hug. "Done anything lately?"

"Not much, Emmett," Bella replied as soon as she got her balance back. "Just fell off the stairs yesterday."

"Too bad I missed that," Emmett laughed, making Edward roll his eyes.

"Hello, Bella," Esme greeted as Bella and Edward approached her. "How are you today?"

"I'm great, Esme. How about you?" Bella politely asked.

"I'm fine as always, Bella dear," Esme replied, smiling sweetly at her.

"Bella! Bella! Bella!" Alice called out, running over to them. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Yes, I'm here. Now, what do you need?" Bella asked, looking serious. "Does it have anything to do with all of these clothes?"

"You guessed it right," Alice said, pulling her by the hand. "We're gonna try on different dresses for your party!"

"What?!" Bella asked in surprise. "Why?!"

"Because we have to find the perfect dress for you! All eyes will be on you, Bella, and they have to see that you are fit to be the star of the night!" Alice explained rather fast.

"Alice, I don't need a new dress! I can just-" Bella was interrupted.

"Don't say an old one! Do not say an old one!" Alice warned, facing Bella once more.

"Okay! Okay!" Bella surrendered. "I won't."

"Good, now, Rosalie will help us decide the perfect dress for you," Alice said, gesturing towards the blonde beauty.

"R-Rosalie?" Bella stuttered.

"Yes, Rose will help. She actually volunteered," Alice related.

"R-really?" Bella asked in shock.

"Bella," Rosalie spoke. "Don't worry about it. It's okay. I don't have anything to do anyway."

"T-thanks," Bella managed to choke out.

"Alright, let's get on with it!" Alice announced.

Edward watched in amusement as Bella was dragged in and out by Alice to their bathroom with different designer dresses in her hands. He, along with Emmett and Jasper, were the critiques in the small fashion show that the girls, including Esme herself, had displayed before them. With much of the attention planted on Bella, it was a relief for Edward that she was having fun, in spite of herself. It was clear in her face that she enjoyed the activity, no matter how much she hated having to change from one dress to another.

"Very nice, Esme!" Emmett howled. "Carlisle will love it!"

"You think so?" Esme asked, laughing at her own question.

"You look beautiful, Mom," Edward complimented.

"Thank you, son," Esme said, smiling at him. "Bella, sweetheart, you can come out now."

"I'm not sure about this, Esme," Bella said, walking out of the door. "I think it's a little too much."

As Bella stood in front of them, Emmett and Jasper held out their number '10' cards, simply telling Bella that it was the best dress yet. Edward simply stared, not knowing what words to say as his beautiful angel glowed in front of him in the navy blue cocktail dress that Alice had picked out from Paris. Bella smiled up at him awkwardly, hating the fact that she couldn't tell what he was thinking. His face remained blank, or so it seemed to Bella. Edward, noticing her stare, immediately ran to her side, holding her by the waist and lowered his mouth near her ear.

"You look very lovely," Edward said, making Bella blush. "Tempting as always."

"Thank you," Bella said, appreciating his compliment.

"That's it!" Alice voice suddenly boomed in their ears. "That's the dress!"

"Really?" Bella asked in relief.

"It's perfect! Edward loves it! Esme loves it! Rose loves it! Jazz and Em love it! I love it!" Alice explained. "All we need now is Carlisle's approval, and it's like a perfect strike!"

"Did someone say my name?" Carlisle asked, suddenly walking in through the front door.

"Oh, dear, you're home," Esme said, as if she wasn't expecting it.

"Looks like I got home on the right moment," Carlisle said, smiling at his children and Bella. "What's going on, kids?"

"What do you think of Bella's dress, Carlisle?" Alice asked in excitement. "Don't you think it's perfect?"

"You look lovely, Bella. Alice is right. It is the perfect dress," Carlisle said, nodding his head.

"Thank you," Bella said, smiling at him.

"Go and change. Let's leave now," Edward told Bella, squeezing her hand.

Bella nodded before running towards the bathroom to change. Carlisle smiled at Edward before walking towards his office, setting himself comfortably on his chair. No sooner than that, a knock was heard on the door, making Carlisle sit up on his chair, silently letting the visitor in. He smiled as Edward's face came into view, walking in vampire speed right in front of him. Carlisle leaned in, allowing Edward to talk.

"I need to speak with you about something," Edward said, his face blank.

"I have the time. Just tell me when," Carlisle said, his voice soft.

"Thank you," Edward said, turning around.

"May I ask what it will be about?" Carlisle asked, stopping Edward in his tracks.

"When I get back," Edward simply said before going straight for the door.

--

Bella lay still against Edward's chest, her breathing as even as it should be. Edward casually played with her hair, blowing at it like a little kid. As Bella adjusted herself to try and sit up, he held her in place, kissing her cheek, causing Bella to blush like mad. Edward smiled, tightening his grip on her waist, letting his chin rest on her shoulder as she allowed herself to be taken away from the reality of it all.

"You look worried," Edward commented, grazing her cheek.

"Shouldn't I be?" Bella asked, laughing a little. "There's a big party coming in this Wednesday in honor of my birthday. That means attention, attention, attention."

"You don't have to worry about it. I'll be by your side. I promise," Edward assured her.

"Can't we just stay home and pretend that it's not my birthday?" Bella pleaded, sitting up to face Edward.

"I'm sorry, Bella. You agreed on this. You promised Alice a party, and you know how she can get," Edward reminded, touching her cheek.

"I wish Daniela could come, though," Bella sighed, leaning against his body once more.

"Why?" Edward asked, almost shocked at her statement.

"At least she'd get the attention away from me," Bella said, closing her eyes. "She's already pretty good at it."

"What do you mean by that?" Edward questioned.

"About the whole school centered on her," Bella slowly said, not wanting to look at Edward's reaction. "Why? What do you think I meant anyway?"

"Nothing," Edward replied nonchalantly. "You should go to bed. School tomorrow, remember?"

"I can't believe the weekend's already over," Bella breathed out. "It seems like time's just passing by so quickly."

"You would think," Edward said, setting Bella down on the mattress. "Now, sleep, love. Tomorrow is a brand new day, a day for us to spend together once more. Sleep and I will be here, watching you as you dream away."

"I love you," Bella declared as she closed her eyes.

"I know," Edward whispered to her. "I love you as well."

Edward stared at Bella's angelic face as she slept the night away, not knowing what was going through her beloved vampire's mind. As her tiny clock on the side of her desk struck two, Edward stood up from the bed, walking over to the window. He looked at Bella for a while before jumping off the window and running back to the Cullen home in record time. As soon as he stepped in through the front door, Emmett's face came into view right in front of his. Edward sighed, eying his brothers as he grinned in front of him.

"Should I even ask?" Edward inquired, making Emmett smile even more.

"Only if you can't read my mind," Emmett said before Edward pushed past him. "You know that we'll be listening in, right?"

"I'm guessing that Alice has already told you everything about it," Edward said, sarcasm evident in his tone.

"I didn't say anything," Alice chimed in from somewhere around the house.

"Go knock yourself dead, Emmett," Edward hollered as Emmett's laugh boomed inside the house. "Carlisle?"

"Come in, Edward," Carlisle said, welcoming his son in. "Have a seat."

"I assume that you know why I'm here," Edward said, taking a seat in front of his desk.

"Alice may have let some things slip out," Carlisle admitted, smiling to himself.

"I did no such thing!" Alice exclaimed, her voice erupting from somewhere around the house once more.

"Well, what do you think about it?" Carlisle questioned, ignoring Alice's defense.

"I really don't know," Edward sighed, sinking into his set. "She doesn't seem affected by me the same way I am with her."

"It's unusual. I have to admit that I don't know why this is happening. In some sense, though juvenile, I think that it may only be a coincidence," Carlisle stated. "_Though I highly doubt you believe my judgment._"

"I look at her and these images flash before my eyes. How do you expect me to believe that it's only a coincidence? It's been five straight days and the images appear more often and far longer than before. Just last Friday, waves of emotions surged on my body, like she was channeling them to me," Edward explained, his voice stressed. "I don't understand what's going on. I've tried to observe her, read her thoughts, get to know more about her, but nothing leads me to any clue as to why these images keep coming. Daniela La Vecchia is completely blank of anything."

"La Vecchia?" Carlisle asked in surprise.

"Yes, her name is Daniela La Vecchia. You knew that," Edward said, looking at him strangely.

"I knew her name and the fact that she moved here with nothing but a babysitter with her, but I had never heard that her surname was La Vecchia," Carlisle clarified.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Daniela, you said, was from Italy, right? Have you asked about her family? _Her mother, in particular?_"

"No, not at all. What's going on? Your thoughts...they're clouded."

"I know of a great doctor, someone I met when I took a medical seminar back in Australia. She was very young but highly intelligent. She said she was from Italy and was planning to continue her practice until she had kids. After the seminar, I was still in touch with her, but then we lost contact, and I never heard anything from her since then."

"I remember that story. But what does it have to do with Daniela?"

"A year after I met her, she got married to an Italian businessman named Leonardo Raffaele La Vecchia. _Maybe, I wonder, that same doctor or the Italian businessman was related to Daniela._"

"Could be, but there must be thousands of Italians with the surname La Vecchia. And that does not even concern me at all! I'm still perplexed with everything that's been happening since I met her; but she looks absolutely human to me."

Carlisle took a moment to think, allowing his adopted son to contemplate by himself. About a moment later, Edward's head shot up, giving Carlisle a look.

"But I can read her thoughts," Edward retorted. "She's not like Bella."

"But it is possible that she could have an...ability like you, Alice, and Jasper," Carlisle reasoned. "It may not be just our kind."

"Impossible," Edward argued.

"Bella is an exception to your abilities, Edward," Carlisle reminded. "There may be another human with an ability, just not like Bella's."

"You think Bella's immunity from my powers is an ability?"

"It's my only explanation."

"It still does not connect with all these images in my head. How could she be doing this? I don't understand."

"_She's not doing anything._"

Edward turned to find Alice standing on the doorway, holding the door open. She walked over to them, allowing herself to settle in-between her father and brother.

"Daniela is not superhuman or some witch casting some voodoo spell on you," Alice said, looking at Edward. "She's just a normal human."

"Have you seen anything?" Edward questioned.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just regular human things," Alice told him. "But I do have something...for you."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, looking at her curiously.

"The images that you see in your head...I never saw them coming. I still don't," Alice said, annoyed of the fact. "I've been looking into your future, but I can't see anything, until now."

"What is it?" Edward pressed, getting impatient.

"These images, I can't see what they are, but I think I know what they might be," Alice slowly said, glancing from Carlisle to Edward.

"Might?" Carlisle asked.

"My past?" Edward asked in shock after reading Alice's thoughts.

"Memories," Alice corrected. "I did say I might know. I didn't say I'm positively sure about it."

"It...can't be," Edward argued, shaking his head. "I lost my human memories. Nothing in the history of our kind says that they can come back."

"Nothing says that it can't either," Alice retorted. "All we know is that they fade in time, but that doesn't mean that they can't come back."

"In what? Snippets?!" Edward asked in frustration. "This is just insane, Alice! How did you even come up with this?!"

"I saw it, Edward. I saw you acknowledge it as your own memories," Alice told him, her voice so calm. "I can't see what you see. But I'm very sure that you acknowledged it as your own."

Edward stared at her. He couldn't accept what he had just heard. His memories could not be coming back. It was impossible. They've already faded. As his mind scanned Alice for any sign that she was kidding, he saw it. He saw her thinking about what she had seen. Edward's eyes shot a look towards Carlisle, who was sitting quietly, thinking about what was going on.

"_She might be right,_" Carlisle thought, earning a look from Edward.

"You can't possibly think she's right! It's ridiculous!" Edward exclaimed, completely astonished at his reaction. "These are memories that you have justified that will fade, and they have. I have no intention or care of bringing them back, much more even think about them!"

"Edward, you can't force these things away," Alice interjected. "They'll come when they come."

"Why now?" Edward asked, focusing towards his sister. "Why whe-Her. What does she have to do with this?!"

"You need to calm down, Edward," Carlisle said, still very calm.

"She has nothing to do with this," Alice said, looking at Edward. "_Please don't let her get involved._"

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked, getting confused. "Why do you want to protect her?"

"You will know," Alice simply said before exiting through the door.

--

Carter Long looked up from where he was dusting off the coffee once he heard the music from the grand piano in the middle of the living room stop. Being an all-time butler-slash-babysitter was a tedious job, especially if you were taking care of someone like Daniela La Vecchia. But Carter, an American who moved to Italy when he turned 25, never complained, having had a strong hold on her, even when she tried to rebel on him all the time.

"Is something wrong, Dani?" Carter asked, getting back to his dusting.

"Nothing," Daniela said, playing with the keys once more.

"I saw an invitation on your things," Carter casually said. "Do you plan on going?"

"You went through my things?" Daniela asked, leaving the grand piano and walking over to Carter.

"Of course," Carter said, not looking at her. "You threw them on the couch when you got home, you don't expect me to just leave them there, do you?"

"Right. I forgot I was living with an obsessive compulsive freak," Daniela said, crashing on the couch. "You had no right to go through my stuff, even if you were my babysitter."

"Do you wish to go to that party then, Miss Daniela?" Carter asked, walking over to the windows.

"Oh, don't go 'butler' on me," Daniela voiced, playing with her cellphone. "And even if I wanted to go, which I am not sure of, I don't suppose I will enjoy being there."

"You may go," Carter told her, wiping the tall windows the Sunday mansion they now call home. "The house is a few minutes away. I'm sure you're going to be safe. Just don't do anything stupid."

"I will go if I want to go," Daniel stated.

"The boy," Carter began, slowing his wiping. "You like him, don't you?"

"What makes you think that?" Daniela questioned, her voice stern.

"You wrote his name several times on your notebook," Carter explained, a smile in his voice. "I haven't seen him, but I take it he's worthy enough of your attention. With so many admirers, you tend to be picky – well, very picky, that is."

"Interesting choice of words," Daniela commented, setting her legs on the coffee table.

"Is he a character?" Carter inquired.

"Popular. Smart. Gorgeous," Daniela stated.

"To put it simply: perfect," Carter said, smiling to himself.

"He has a girl," Daniela softly said, making Carter stop.

There was a long pause between the two; Carter staring out the window. After a while, he walked away, directly moving towards the kitchen door. Before he reached it, he stopped and held the knob.

"Don't do anything stupid," Carter simply said before walking out of the living room.

--

**A.N. **So, what do you think? I know, it's kinda lame. But I would really love to hear from you. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 – Taking It In a Whole New Level

Disclaimer: I have no intention whatsoever to claim the ownership of this franchise. I am simply a fan trying to express my desire to be selfish through my own stories with my idols. Please don't banish me to hell for this.

--

Dr. Carlisle Cullen smiled as he made rounds around the small hospital in the little town of Forks. It was already late in the afternoon and the patients were already finishing up with their early dinner that was given out by the hospital. Carlisle had never tasted any hospital food, but judging from the reactions he had seen for so many years, he was guessing that he didn't need to actually want to taste it anymore than humans do. He'd prefer mountain lion and irritable grizzlies from hospital food, or any human food, for that matter, any day.

He couldn't remember the taste of human food anymore. After years of not eating it, the familiar taste he once held for it faded in the dark, just like most of his human memories. In truth, he couldn't understand why they needed to fade or why they even fade at all. He never bothered to ask, even when he was with the Volturi. All he knew was that they fade in time, and he never expected them to come back anymore. That's why it was both hard and easy for him to believe Alice's assessment when it came to the images that were haunting Edward. He has never heard of anything like it, but he didn't want to believe that it was impossible either. That confused him a lot, and Edward knew it.

As Carlisle settled back in his office, he heard his secretary inform him of a last minute appointment for that day. Apparently, the patient was injured in what seemed to be a kitchen incident, prompting a rather dramatic fainting from her. Carlisle held back a laughter before letting his secretary send in the patient. He stood up from his seat as the face of a young brunette and an elderly man, probably in his sixties, appeared before him. He quickly gestured for them to sit down before taking his own seat.

"Well, what can I do for you today?" Carlisle politely asked.

"We'd just like for you to check on her, Doctor. She fainted and seemed to have hurt her head during the fall; it was a porcelain-tiled floor," the elderly man explained.

"I feel perfectly fine. This is ridiculous," the girl told him. "I'm sorry, sir, but I feel absolutely fine. You don't have to waste your time on me."

"You hit your head on a tiled floor. That must have been something. We'd just have a look, alright?" Carlisle insisted, smiling as he stood up. "Why don't you take a seat here and we'll see if you have a bump or something?"

The girl sighed before walking over to the bed and sitting down. Dr. Cullen smiled at her before inspecting her head. He tried to feel anything and found a small bump just by her right ear. Raising his right hand, he held out two finger, questioning Daniela how many they were. Daniela replied correctly, sighing after doing so. Carlisle then moved away and walked back towards his desk, gesturing for the brunette to get back to her seat.

"You have a small bump on your head, but nothing too serious," Carlisle assured her. "Would you mind telling me why you fainted?"

"She has been having a difficult time adjusting in the climate change between Italy and Forks," the man answered. "And she's not used to the food here. The food in the school is different, and it's not likely for me to find the same ingredients for Italian food around here."

"Ah, you must be Daniela La Vecchia," Carlisle said, smiling at her. "And you must be her guardian."

"Carter Long," Carter said, extending his hand.

"He's actually a babysitter," Daniela said, smiling as she shook Carlisle's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Doctor..?"

"Carlisle Cullen," Carlisle introduced, nodding towards her. "Nice to finally meet you, Daniela."

"Cullen?" Daniela asked in surprise.

"Yes," Carlisle replied. "I take it you know my children?"

"Oh, yes, I have met them," Daniela said, smiling at him. "They are very nice kids, especially your daughter. She's very outgoing, I must say."

"That's Alice. Well, getting back to your condition, have you been feeling cold or dizzy lately?" Carlisle asked, getting into doctor mode.

"Dizzy, yes. Cold, not mostly," Daniela replied, making Carlisle smile. "It's been a little of both, actually."

"Abdominal pain?" Carlisle questioned.

"First few days," Daniela said. "It's nothing. It lasts for a few minutes, and then it's gone."

"Do you feel dizzy now?" Carlisle asked, looking curious.

"Definitely," Daniela replied, grimacing.

Carlisle stopped his questions and began scribbling in his pad. Daniela waited intently, while Carter began tapping his foot on the ground. Daniela looked up at him, giving him a look, making Carter stop. About a few moment later, Carlisle stopped writing and tore the paper from its set, handing it over to Carter, who took it as soon as he could.

"A medical subscription for her. You need to have her take it three times a day, after every meal. She seems to be having a hard time accepting food here. The climate change is not helping either. It's amazing that she didn't passed out sooner, but we wouldn't want to take that risk again. Have her take these, and come back in two weeks time," Carlisle explained, smiling at Carter and Daniela.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," Carter said, shaking his hand as they stood up. "We'll see you in two weeks."

"Your welcome," Carlisle said, now shaking Daniela's hand. "You take care, Daniela. I hope you feel much better."

"Thank you, sir," Daniela said, smiling as Carter walked over to the door. "It was nice meeting you again, Dr. Cullen."

"You, too, Daniela," Carlise stated.

"By the way, Dr. Cullen, would you mind passing on a message to Bella for me? I know she'll be in your house by this time for her birthday party," Daniela inquired.

"Sure. What is it?" Carlisle asked.

"Could you tell her that I might not be able to make it tonight, and I'm sorry about that," Daniela paused. "And I hope she have a happy birthday."

"Consider it passed," Carlisle assured, smiling even more.

"Thank you," Daniela said before disappearing through the door.

Carlisle stood in his place, his hands inside his coat pockets. Something bothered him. There was something oddly familiar with Daniela's presence in his office. He just could quite place it. Surely, it might be connected with Edward has been having since the day they met. Unfortunately, Carlisle couldn't even begin to place where it connected.

--

"Happy birthday, Bella!" Alice greeted, running towards her.

Bella stood frozen in her spot, staring at the white blur that was coming towards her. Her hold on Edward's hand was strong, making the young vampire smile. Alice suddenly appeared in front of them, almost surprising Bella with her presence. She took a deep breath before letting herself take in everything around them. Her eyes scanned the whole Cullen living room, slowly turning around as she looked at everything. The whole Cullen living room was turned in what seemed to be a mix of the 50s Elvis Presley Rock and Roll King kind of thing, 60s Beatlemania, 70s retro with all the hippie signs, 80s Madonna madness, 90s Britney Spears/ boy band fever, and the current time zone they were living at everywhere.

"Wow, Alice, I didn't know that...I don't even know how to put it in context," Bella sighed, making Edward laugh. "This is just...well, you."

"The theme was 'Be Yourself', and this is myself," Alice said, taking Bella's hand.

"I can't believe you skipped school for this," Bella remarked as they continued to walk.

"Worth it, Bella. Worth it," Alice defended.

"You're a hippie?" Bella had to ask.

"No, I am not a hippie, nor am I a big fan of 'The King', the Fab Four, and the Material Girl," Alice clarified as they walked. "And definitely not of Britney Spears. I'm not much of a 'hit me, baby, one more time' type of girl."

Bella could swear she heard Edward mutter a faint "I completely disagree" out of the corner of her ears. She simply smiled as her vampire boyfriend appeared right next to her, an arm tightly wrapped around her waist, stealing her away from the clutches of his hyperactive sister, who was soon going to turn her into Barbie, the blonde hell on earth, little miss perfect pants, in a matter of minutes just before her birthday party started. Alice rolled her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest just as Emmett and Jasper appeared on her sides.

"Happy birthday, Bella," Jasper greeted, smiling at her.

"It's yo' birthday! We're gonna party like it's yo' birthday!" Emmett sang, following the lyrics of the 50 Cent hit song.

"Thanks, Jasper," Bella said, giving a smile back. "Emmett...I didn't know...you listened to...rap music."

"_MTV_!" Emmett exclaimed, laughing at himself. "Hey, Bella, you're 18! Feel up to anything lately?"

"Not really, Emmett. Just wanna get out of here," Bella admitted.

"Bella dear," Esme called out, emerging from somewhere. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Esme," Bella said, giving the Cullen mother a hug. "And thanks for letting me use your house for this party."

"Alice did insist," Esme said, laughing softly. "Sweetheart, I hate to take you away from these boys, but you have to get ready. Your party is in two hours. Alice and Rosalie are waiting for you upstairs."

"Bella!" Alice called out from her room. "Let's go! It's already four! Your party starts at six!"

"I guess that's it," Bella groaned. "I'm going to hate this."

"You'll be fine," Edward assured her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"Take me away?" Bella begged, giving him a pleading look.

"I'm sorry," Edward apologized, smiling towards her before letting Esme take her away.

"Have fun, Bella!" Emmett called out as the door of Alice's room shut close.

--

Edward sat beside Emmett on the sofa in the Cullen living room. He was staring at the flat screen plasma TV in front of them, which was going to be turned into a _DDR_ haven later on in the party. Emmett and Jasper were busy battling it out on a racing game, not paying attention to their brother on the side of the sofa. Edward's mind raced through the thoughts that were floating in his head. After his last conversation with Carlisle and Alice, he had been very busy deciphering what it all meant, the connection in everything that flew into his mind, the reality that was intertwined in them. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his temples furiously, letting himself let out a small growl. At that moment, Jasper and Emmett stopped their game, giving their brother a look. Edward opened his eyes and looked at them, raising an eyebrow.

Before any of them could say anything, they heard a car pull up from the driveway. Instantly, Esme appeared before them, smiling as she placed a hand on Emmett's shoulder, just as Carlisle emerged from the front door. Esme walked over to her husband and gave him a hug as their sons admired their undying affection for each other. Carlisle smiled lovingly at his wife as the two of them faced their smiling boys.

"What time does the party start?" Carlisle asked, looking at Edward.

"About fifteen minutes from now," Edward said, placing a hand on his left cheek and casually leaning in on the sofa's edge.

"Good," Carlisle said, turning around to go to his office. "Oh, by the way, Edward, I actually had a patient in just this afternoon who has a message for Bella, or could it be for Alice?"

"What happened?" Alice asked, suddenly appearing before them. "What happened to Daniela?"

"Daniela?" Emmett asked, getting into the conversation. "Who the heck is Daniela?"

"Dad!" Alice whined, looking at Carlisle. "What happened to Dani?"

"Dani? Since when do you call her Dani?" Rose asked, appearing in the stairs.

"Daniela's too long," Alice said. "So, Carlisle, what happened?"

"Who's Daniela?" Emmett pressed, still getting no response.

"Nothing is wrong, Alice. Whatever you saw was probably just it," Carlisle assured her. "Though she does send her regards. She's not sure if she could attend tonight's party. She doesn't really feel well."

"That was not what I saw! She was supposed to be here tonight!" Alice said, getting frustrated. "I hate cancellations!"

"Daniela's not coming?"

Everyone's attention turned towards the staircase, where Bella was now standing beside Rosalie. Rosalie smiled at her before hurrying towards Emmett just as Edward materialized before Bella. They instantly locked eyes, each a smile on their faces. Edward slowly took Bella's hand, intertwining their fingers together as he allowed himself to take in her appearance in the dress she had tried on days before. She still looked stunningly beautiful, even after Edward had seen her wear it. Blue was definitely her color.

Bella kept her gaze on Edward as he pulled her close, not realizing that they were now walking over to his family. She was drawn to him, as always. He was addictive, with his perfectly crooked smile planted on his face and his eyes looking smoldering. It was drugging, and she loved every single part of it. As soon as she heard an annoying cough coming from the usual suspect, Emmett Cullen, Bella woke up from her trance, looking around the faces of the whole Cullen clan all looking at her.

"I'm sorry," Bella said, her face turning the brightest of red. "About Daniela..."

"Who's Daniela?" Emmett continued to pry.

"Oh, right," Carlisle said. "She fainted and wanted to rest for a while."

"Why did she faint?" Bella asked, getting a little worried. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, Bella," Carlisle assured her. "She's just getting used to the climate in Forks. And it seems that her stomach is not accepting the food here in America just yet."

"But didn't she used to visit America occasionally?" Alice asked.

"Five-star hotel food isn't exactly comparable to Forks High's lunch room food," Carlisle stated, making Esme laugh a little. "Now, I should get ready for your visitors. This is a party, after all."

Bella turned to Edward as Esme and Carlisle disappeared.

"Do you think she's alright?" Bella asked, looking a little worried.

"I don't know," Edward replied. "She probably is. Carlisle did say she's fine."

"Quite unfortunate, actually. I already saw her attending and giving you the most amazing _Hermés_ scarf," Alice stated, leaning against the sofa. "Maybe she'll give it to you tomorrow."

"Alice, it's just a scarf," Bella said. "Daniela's sick, and you're worried about a scarf?"

"I will ask one more time. Who the heck is Daniela?" Emmett suddenly said, finally getting the attention of the group.

"Shiny _Bentley _owner," Alice said, almost laughing as Emmett's eyes widened.

"You're friends with her?" Emmett asked, looking at Edward. "And you didn't even tell me?"

Just as Edward was to about react on his inquiry, the doorbell rang, prompting a momentary lapse on Bella's brain. Edward took hold of her face, gently placing his pals against each cheek. He smiled down at her as she looked up at him. He mouthed a simple 'happy birthday' before leaning in and planting a sweet kiss on her lips. All too soon, it ended, just as Carlisle and Esme descended the stairs, ready with their act as a normal husband and wife. Alice smiled, now standing by the door, holding the knob as she looked back at her family. Bella glanced over to where Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie where positioned, now finding two sets of _DDR _right in front of the flat screen TV. Rosalie was standing by the food table, pretending to fix the food choices. Emmett was situated on the mobile, acting as the DJ for the party. And Jasper was by the lights, ready to hit them on. Everyone was in place as Alice opened the door and welcomed the first few of the guests, which was Mike, Jessica, Lauren, Ben, Angela, Eric, and Tyler – Bella's first Forks High friends.

As the eight of them stepped inside the Cullen mansion's living room, they all marveled at how normal it turned out to be, nothing too unusual inside. They looked around, smiling as each one of them spotted a Cullen standing in their own designated places. Confusion flashed before each and everyone of them when their eyes landed on Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper, knowing that they were supposed to be in Dartmouth University right at the moment. Alice quickly acted on it, explaining to them that the three siblings were there to celebrate with Bella on her birthday, fabricating a story about some free time they had in their hands. Even though it was obviously a big lie, which was justified by the fact that it was just the start of classes in Dartmouth, they all believed it. Bella wondered if Jasper manipulated with their feelings but decided against asking Edward about it.

"Happy birthday, Bella!" Angela greeted as soon as she got to where Bella was standing with Edward. "This is for you."

"Thanks, Angela, but you didn't have to get me anything," Bella said, smiling at her.

"It's your birthday. You deserve a gift or two," Angela said, smiling at her. "Although I don't think that's much compared to what the Cullens gave you, being it a party and all."

"A simple gift from you is ten times more important than a mere party to Bella, Angela," Edward said, surprising both Bella and her friends.

"Thanks...Edward," Angela slowly said, hesitating a bit.

The rest of the night went on with more guest pouring inside the Cullen living room. Each and everyone of them approached Bella, bearing with them gifts in all shapes and sizes. Emmett and Edward had to bring in an extra table for the gifts that Bella obtained from her friends, due to the increasing number of them as the night drew in. Bella smiled all night, trying her best not to look like she really didn't want to be the center of attention. Edward stood beside her as they walked around the living room, greeting everyone who acknowledged them.

Though she may deny it, Bella was actually beginning to loosen up with the party. She liked the fact that most of the people she knew were there to celebrate her birthday with her, even if she knew that most of them just wanted an excuse to get out of a boring Wednesday night in Forks. It was the fact that they made the simple gesture of greeting her a happy birthday and even going to lengths of getting her a present that made an impact on Bella. But what really mattered to her was that Edward was there, by her side, the whole night, even when she had quite a conversation with Jessica about her outfit, which was definitely not something she, much more a guy, would enjoy listening to.

It was already eight in the evening when Jasper and Emmett brought out a huge cake from somewhere around the house, getting the attention of everyone, who were all busy dancing to the beat of each song that Emmett had prepared for them. Edward smiled, slowly assisting Bella towards the center of the room, where the cake was gracefully placed by Jasper and Emmett. Bella held on tight to Edward, feeling all eyes placed on her as they settled in front of the cake. In moment's time, everyone sang _Happy Birthday _to Bella, clapping their hands altogether. Bella smiled, looking around nervously before blowing out her candles, earning a big round of applause from everyone in the room.

Alice bounced beside Bella, bearing with her a giant smile on her face. Bella eyed her carefully, knowing that she had something planned in her mind. Alice simply laughed before pulling Bella towards the side of the room, where the mountain of gifts were located on top of two giant tables. Edward followed behind them, setting himself beside Bella as Alice sat her down, handing her the first present she could pull out from the tables. Bella looked at her weirdly before sighing heavily, carefully tearing the wrapping of the gift Alice had handed to her.

About twenty gifts later, Bella was exhausted, handing the present from Mike, a funny looking blouse, to Edward. She managed to break into a smile as Alice handed her another present, everyone still looking at her intently, making her wonder if there was something remotely interesting with her opening the gifts or something. Minutes passed, some of the guests were already hitting the dance floor once more when Emmett began playing some more tunes. Unfortunately, Bella was still bot finished with her presents, frustrating her a little bit more. As she continued on with her presents, her eyes landed on the dance floor, widening in surprise as she spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

"Daniela?" Bella called out, setting the gift aside. "Is that you?"

Edward's eyes settled on the figure standing just a few feet in front of them. He knew all along that she was there, her scent had entered his nostrils as soon as her car stopped right in front of their house. He could practically hear her family's heads turning to her direction as she stood in the middle of the dance floor, looking directly at both him and Bella. As soon as his eyes landed on her, another shot of images flashed before him, overwhelming his mind. His grip tightened on Bella's hand, causing her to wince. Bella looked at him worriedly, finding an apologetic smile on his face. He knew he was beginning to show signs that he was not feeling alright, but he had to keep up his act, for Bella's sake. He didn't want her to get worried. It pained him to see her worried, knowing fully well that he was always the cause of it.

Bella smiled up at him before setting her eyes back on Daniela, who was now walking over to them. She gave them a small smile as she reached them, nodding towards the birthday girl. Bella looked up at her, letting her eyes travel over her outfit. As always, Daniela looked amazing. It was amazing how she could look so simple, yet so...gorgeous at the same time. She was wearing a double-knit cardigan that was long and slim, with a tie belt in front, and wicker knit pants that all looked so chic on her. Her footwear was no less either, only completing her ensemble. Bella had to take in everything with one look, almost amazed at how she was able to pull off that outfit in such a damp place like Forks, where boring seemed to be the only "in" thing there ever was, until the Cullens arrived.

"Hello," Daniela greeted, smiling at Bella. "Sorry I'm late."

"That's alright," Bella said. "But...I thought you might not come. Are you feeling better now?"

"Actually, I just came in to give you this," Daniela said, handing Bella a small box. "It's customary to give a present, isn't it?"

"Oh," Bella breathed out, inspecting the small box in her hands. "You didn't have to come all the way here to give this to me. You could've given it to me tomorrow, or you shouldn't have gotten me anything at all."

"Everyone deserves a present on their birthday, Bella. It's the least I could do for you inviting me here and me not showing up," Daniela said, giving her a winning smile. "Besides, my house is just a few minutes away from here."

"Thank you," Bella managed to say before Alice appeared before them.

"Daniela! I'm so glad you could come!" Alice exclaimed in delight. "Come on, you should go dance!"

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm actually on my way. I just dropped off Bella's present," Daniela said, trying to beg off.

"Don't be ridiculous, Daniela! You should enjoy being here! This is a party! You should dance!" Alice insisted.

"No, that's okay. I really should get going," Daniela argued, just as the song _Sway _played on.

"Come now, you're already here. Might as well enjoy it while you can," Alice pressed. "Go dance!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Besides, I can't da-" Daniela was cut-off when Alice suddenly pushed her towards someone.

"Here, go dance with Jasper for a while," Alice said, pushing the two in the middle of the dance floor, causing quite a scene.

Everyone parted as Jasper and Daniela stood in the middle of the dance floor. Daniela looked around, feeling the gaze of everyone on the two of them. She looked up at the blonde stranger in front of her, remembering the stories she heard about them. And just like Edward and Alice, Jasper Hale looked amazingly perfect. He was beautiful in ways Daniela couldn't describe. It was beyond her imagination. Drawn by his beauty, Daniela didn't realize that Jasper had already offered his hand to her, asking her to dance, which was their sole purpose by being the center of attention. Daniela hesitated, but gave in just as the refrain of the song neared its ending, and the instrumental was about to begin. In one swift motion, Jasper lead the dance.

Their moves were amazing, each step done gracefully and precisely. Their bodies moved to the rhythm of the song in perfect synchronization, making it seem like they have been practicing together for years. Jasper lead the way, marking his territory from the beginning, while Daniela followed, but making sure that she didn't look minute compared to Jasper. To each, they were amazing. But together, they were like a force so brilliant, it was like watching Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin dance to the Latina moves they were so magnificent with. Watching them was like feeling yourself getting drawn into their moves, drugging everyone in the room.

Alice beamed with delight, watching as her husband let loose on the dance floor. Bella wondered if she ever got jealous of anyone before. With so many girls prying off the Cullen boys, it wouldn't be a surprise if their other halves would ever get jealous. But looking at Alice, and maybe even Rosalie and Esme in perspective, it would seem like Bella was the only who got jealous among the Cullen boys' other halves. Being human and not-so-perfect, it was clearly normal. Having a boyfriend like Edward Cullen was an honor, because just like the other Cullen men, he was beautiful, and everything else in between. She knew she shouldn't be jealous because Edward made it clear, from the very start of their relationship, that he loved her and only her. And she wasn't jealous at all, except, maybe, of Tanya, who, she heard, wanted Edward like hell. But Bella wondered if ever Alice felt the same way she did towards Tanya right at the moment, especially now that someone, a mere human, as beautiful as Daniela was dancing rather sensually with her husband. Looking at them, it would seem like they were a cute pair, but Bella would never admit that to Alice. Just dancing partners is all.

As if reading her mind, Edward gave out a chuckle, getting Bella's attention. She looked at him with curious eyes, searching for any explanation as to why he was almost at the verge of laughter. Next thing Bella knew, the music had ended and a loud round of applause was heard from the big crowd that surrounded the dancing pair. Bella looked back at the dance floor, clapping her hands together as Jasper and Daniela bowed. Jasper smiled at Daniela as he assisted her back to where his wife and the rest of his family were waiting. As soon as he reached Alice, he let go of Daniela's hand, searching for his wife's. Alice smiled, giving Daniela a thumb's up.

"And you said you couldn't dance," Alice teased, laughing after doing so. "You owned the dance floor out there. Thank you for not making Jasper look like a loser."

"I really don't know how that happened," Daniela insisted. "I haven't danced for nearly two years."

"But you do know how to dance," Alice said, smiling at her. "You just needed the right partner. Good thing Jasper's here."

"Thank you very much for dancing with me," Daniela said, looking at Jasper. "I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced."

"Allow me," Jasper said, extending his hand. "Jasper Hale. You must be Daniela La Vecchia. Alice wouldn't shut up about you."

"Nice to meet you," Daniela said, shaking his hand. "Well, I should really get going. Thank you for inviting me again, Bella. Happy birthday."

"You're leaving? You should eat first," Alice said, trying to stop her once more.

"I'm fine. I really need to get home now," Daniela said, glancing towards their faces. "Thank you for having me here, Alice. Jasper. Edward."

"Thank you for coming, Daniela, and thank you for the gift," Bella said, standing up from her seat.

"It was nothing," Daniela said, smiling at her. "I hope you like it, though. I didn't know what to get you, so I just got the same thing my mother usually gives to her girl friends."

"I'm sure I will like it," Bella admitted.

"Why don't you open it before Daniela leaves, so that she will know if you like it or not?" Alice suggested.

"That's fine with me," Bella said, taking the gift from Edward's hands.

Bella slowly pulled the lid up, careful not to ruin the beautiful lace ribbon that was on top of it. As soon as she saw what was inside, Bella's jaw dropped, her eyes widening in shock. Alice's eyes landed on the beautiful diamond watch that rested comfortably on its cushion, its twenty-two diamond shining brightly in the light of the room. Bella looked at Daniela, who was waiting patiently for her words.

"Oh...my...Daniela...I can't...I can't accept...this," Bella stammered, not knowing what to say. "This is just...too much."

"Your mother gives expensive-looking wristwatches to her girl friends?" Lauren asked in complete shock, suddenly appearing behind the group, obviously eavesdropping.

"Of course you can. It's my gift to you," Daniela said, smiling at Bella. "Accept it. Keep it. Love it."

"She's right, you know," Alice said, grinning towards Bella. "It's not everyday you get a _Gucci_ diamond wristwatch for a birthday present, or any other occasion for that matter."

"A _Gucci _diamond wristwatch?" Lauren asked in shock once more, completely letting herself in the conversation as some of the people began looking over at them. "How did you ever find something as expensive as that here in Forks?"

"It's nothing," Daniela said, smiling slightly towards Lauren.

"There are no stores around here that sell such a brand, nor such a thing," Alice said, a grin on her lips. "You had this shipped, didn't you?"

"You had it shipped? From where?" Bella asked in complete shock.

"I'm guessing..." Alice began, turning into thinking mode. "Italy?"

"Italy?!" Bella repeated, her jaw dropping. "Daniela, that's way overboard."

"It is the home of _Gucci_. Where else would I get one?" Daniela asked, as if being completely logical.

"Italy is a far away place, Daniela," Bella argued, looking at her. "It's not...normal for someone to just have a wristwatch shipped all the way from there to Forks, Washington, where there's completely no shopping district."

"I know, Bella," Daniela said, her voice so soft. "I live there."

"Right..." Bella said, feeling her cheeks burn at the realization. "But still..."

"It's a gift. Shipping is no problem, nor the brand," Daniela explained. "A gift is given to make the person feel happy, and since I didn't know what exactly you wanted, I just bought the first thing that came into my mind, hoping that you will like it."

"I do like it, but still..." Bella began, knowing she would lose.

"Please," Daniela insisted, smiling at Bella as she waited for her response.

"Thank you," Bella managed to say, before Edward held on to her.

Daniela's eyes landed on Edward in an instant. She looked at him with curious eyes before looking away towards Alice, who was now standing beside a beautiful, blonde girl and a rather big guy. She assumed them to be the other Cullen siblings she had heard so much about during her first day in Forks High School. Right behind the blonde, Daniela spotted another picturesque woman, a little older than the blonde, who was standing beside a familiar face. Daniela smiled, nodding her head towards him.

"Dr. Cullen," Daniela greeted. "It's nice to see you again."

"I thought you were not coming, Daniela, but nonetheless, I'm glad to see that you're up and about," Carlisle said, nodding towards her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure, sir. I haven't taken the medication yet," Daniela joked, making Carlisle laugh.

"Let me know when you do then," Carlisle returned the joke.

"I will, sir. Well, I should really get going," Daniela said, sighing to herself. "Happy birthday again, Bella. Thank you all for having me at your home. I'll see you tomorrow. Dr. Cullen, I'll see you in two weeks."

"You take care, Daniela," Carlisle said before Daniela turned around.

Just as Daniela was about to take fifth step away from them, Edward broke away from his hold of Bella and moved arms and legs to where Daniela was standing, catching her in time before she fell to the ground. The Cullens fell silent at the sight, not knowing why Edward had acted on such a thing. Bella stared in shock, feeling a pang of jealously hitting her as her heart began to beat so fast, she was pretty sure the Cullens' eardrums were about to fall off, if they weren't only vampires. Edward, for that matter, seemed to be unaffected by the situation, taking hold of Daniela longer than he was supposed to as the images flashed before him once more.

Daniela felt cold, cold in the arms of the man who caught her from falling down. She couldn't explain it, but Edward's supposedly warm embrace was so cold, she could swear that he slept inside a freezer. She looked at him, confused at his action, and how he managed to catch her just in time. Feeling his gaze bore on her, Daniela immediately let go, realizing just how long they have been in the same position, with his family and girlfriend watching them from behind. Edward stared at her, his onyx eyes returning for a short while before they settled into its topaz shade. He could feel it, he could feel Bella's shock. Turning around, he saw it. The surprise in her eyes was so evident, it could drill a hole in his heart. His gaze was solely on her, not even realizing that Carlisle had already assisted Daniela out of the house, volunteering to take her home instead.

It was painful, Edward knew it very much. Bella's heart was pounding in her chest, a small part of her whispering words of uncertainty about what was going on. Walking slowly towards her, he could hear her heavy breathing, each intake strumming in his ear. Just as he reached her, Bella closed her eyes and let herself fall into Edward's embrace, burying her face in her shoulder. They held on tight to each other, not wanting to let go. The party around them seemed unaffected by the event. No one saw it, or if they ever did, they didn't let on. The night soon caved in, and everyone left the Cullen mansion feeling elated and tired from all the dancing they did. It was safe to say that the party was a big success, without much help from the birthday girl herself.

As soon as everyone disappeared, Bella sat herself down on the Cullen sofa, waiting for no one to speak to her about anything. She knew very well that the Cullens were trying to avoid the part where they have to explain to her what just happened. Looking around the living room, she found everything spotlessly clean. There was no recollection in her how everything happened, how they were able to clean up without her knowledge, nor she did care. They were vampires who had superhuman speed and it's their house, they could do whatever they wanted inside it. All Bella wanted to do was stay put and let her mind wander off some place. Sooner than expected, Edward materialized beside her, pulling her closer to him. Bella couldn't and didn't want to pull away. She wanted to feel him close by, like nothing was going to come soon; but, of course, she knew better than to act like a child.

"I am not jealous," Bella clarified, as if reading Edward's thoughts

Edward remained in silence, his grip tightening around her. He knew she was telling the truth, but he just wanted to have a good excuse not to say anything just yet. Sooner or later, Bella was going to find out what was going on in his mind. But as of the moment, he just wanted to make sure that she had the best 18th birthday he could offer her, even if he had to result into actually using the Cullen money for it. Letting her sink in against his upper body, Edward took something out of his pocket, feeling the velvet box against his palm. Bella's eyes immediately fell upon it, moving so that she could look at Edward.

It wasn't like he had anything planned. In fact, it was an impulsive buy. He was positively sure that Alice had not seen anything regarding his gift, which he had bought just in the two hours when Bella was locked up with Rosalie and Alice before her party. He had decided to go out for a while, to clear his head, only to end up buying something from a local jewelers in Port Angeles. It wasn't cheap, but it was all worth it. Sitting upright, Edward positioned Bella right in front of him, his eyes glued on hers as he opened the small box, making Bella gasp in surprise.

"Wait just a minute before you say anything," Edward requested, breathing in unnecessarily. "This isn't an engagement ring. It's not even anything at all. It's just a stupid ring that I saw from a window in Port Angeles. But there's so much more I want to say, love, only, there's just one thing that comes to my mind right about now."

"What is it?" Bella asked, allowing herself to speak.

"This ring will rest around your neck, a good evidence of how completely revolting it is compared to your beauty," Edward stated, smiling as he pulled the ring from the box, showing Bella the chain he had placed on it.

Bella sat in silence, her eyes fixated on the ring. She watched as Edward took it and clasped the chain around her neck, kissing it after doing so. Taking her hand, he gently placed it on the ring around her neck, allowing her to feel it. Edward stared at his beloved as she fingered the small object that was now safely clasped around her neck. It was true. No matter how beautifully expensive the ring was, in Edward's eyes, Bella was still the most beautiful. No amount of diamonds could ever compare to her natural beauty.

"Edward," Bella breathed out, getting Edward's attention.

"Yes, love?" Edward asked, looking at her angelic face.

"Thank you," Bella said, smiling as he pulled her into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you," Edward returned. "I love you."

--

Carlisle sat idly on his seat, a book resting in his hands. His focus was solely on the text that was in front of him, carefully reading every single detail written down. It had bothered him, the moment he met Daniela, when a sudden eerie feeling fell down upon him, forcing him to think too much during the whole examination. He observed her more than necessary, reading her moves and everything else in between. For a vampire his age, he was still very positive that he had seen her somewhere before, or, if not, have seen such a face before. It was oddly unsettling, if not irritating.

Resulting to theories from age-old books was ridiculous enough as it was, finding nothing of a connection was just plain embarrassing. Sad to say, Carlisle was drained of sources. His memories were not helping him either, forcing him to think harder. Usually, he had a very good memory, but with a lot of distractions lately, including keeping his peace with the werewolf pack by making sure his children were kept under the radar for a while, he was sure to miss something. Sighing unnecessarily, he threw the book on his desk, letting his eyes fall on the door of his office as a knock was heard. He immediately let his visitor enter, finding it to be his dear daughter Alice.

"A word, Carlisle?" Alice inquired, almost as if she was hesitant to ask.

"Please," Carlisle replied, gesturing for her to sit down. "You wish to speak about something important, I presume."

"About..." Alice began, hesitation evident in her voice. "I saw something I haven't told Edward just yet."

"What is it?" Carlisle questioned, his brow furrowing.

"In all the possible futures I could envision of her, there's only one ending," Alice paused, looking bothered. "Death."

--

**A.N. **So, what do you think? I know, it's kinda lame. But I would really love to hear from you. Thanks!


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